Several months ago I picked up the phone and called the Edgecombe County Tax Assessor’s Office and asked for the name of the person who presently owned my old childhood home in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. I received the name and immediately called the owner. I told him that I wanted to purchase his home. He laughed and said that he was not interested in selling. I told him to keep my number and give me a call when he decided to sell. I learned this technique from my brother-in-law Lorenzo Harrison. Lorenzo saw a lady standing in front of her beautiful home and asked her if she was interested in selling it. She said let me talk to my husband. A few days later my brother-in-law and his wife Dr. Latanza Harrison purchased the home. 

Since the owner of my childhood home told me that he was not interested in selling I purchased another property in Alabama. Just after I closed on that property the owner of my childhood home called and said that he was ready to sell. This placed me in a dilemma because the banks will only lend so much money at a time. I shared my concerns with my wealthy friend in Montgomery, Alabama over lunch. He pulled out his checkbook and loaned me the money to purchase the home of my dreams. 

By the time this article is printed I would have traveled to Rocky Mount, North Carolina and closed on the latest addition to Griffin Properties (FIVE HUNDRED HOUSES ONE DAY TO COME!). This added landmark to the expanding Griffin Properties Empire is the crown jewel because it is a reminder to me of my roots. I was living in this house when so many memorable events occurred. I recall sitting in the living room with my mother when Walter Cronkite interrupted AS THE WORLD TURNS and announced that President Kennedy had been shot. He later came on and said that the President was dead. I recall my mother crying. It was in this house where I first learned that Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. I can recall my dad yelling “All Hell Is Going To Break Loose Now!” We were living in this house when my late brother Mann was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes, my mother with cervical cancer. We were living in this house when I decided to become an attorney. It was in this house that I decided to serve the lord!  

Eventually I plan to use the house as a vacation home. It is only 154 miles from Nags Head. We plan to preserve the home as a part of our living legacy. So many memories! So many memories! 

In the words of my dad, Dr. Melvin J. Griffin Sr. quoting Galatians 4:16, So then, have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com or write to him at P.O. Box 250194 Montgomery, Alabama 36125-0194.